Synthesis and transport studies of a cofacial porphyrin cyclophane

Abstract

Porphyrin cyclophane 1, consisting of two rigidly fixed but still movable cofacial porphyrins and exposing acetatemasked thiols in opposed directions of the macrocycle, is designed, synthesized, and characterized. The functional cyclophane 1, as pioneer of mechanosensitive 3D materials, forms stable singlemolecule junctions in a mechanically controlled break-junction setup. Its reliable integration in a single-molecule junction is a fundamental prerequisite to explore the potential of these structures as mechanically triggered functional units and devices.